Community Therapy Flashcards
Community Psychology
Primary Goals:
- ->help individual adapt and cope with enviro
- ->understand what causes disorders more broadly (society? poverty?)
- ->modify community level causes (when possible) before they negatively influence groups/individuals.
Based on the ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE of mental health: aka pp.’s behavior comes from interactions with all aspects of their enviro (physical, social, political, econ)
To treat disorder you need to make changes to both ENVIRO settings and INDIVIDUAL competencies.
Apply psychology to…
1) understand individual and social problems
2) prevent behavioral dysfunction
3) create lasting social change *
* enhance well being, reduce suffering, prevent mental health problems, make health care more cost effective*
Big focus on prevention
Supportive of positive psychology ( development of individual strengths and promoting individual well-being)
History of Community Psychology
1950’s / 60’s - shortage of mental health professionals for individual treatment.. civil rights movements and the Community Mental Health Centers Act of 1962.
Community Psychology: Principles and Methods
Try to influence locals to beomce more active in improving/changing disorder-related conditions.
Different from traditional psych. by…
–Social-System Change (over individual) - emphasize services that don’t have a particular target client, but should benefit the system.
–Promote “Psychological Sense of Community” - encourage collective action –> strengthen community’s ability to plan and implement its own changes
–Paraprofessionals - to provide behavior change functions; many times = ‘indigenous’ aka from the group that will receive their services.
–Use of Activism - power to accomplish social reform.
–Research as Intervention – “dissemination research” = experimentation designed to eval. alt. methods of implementing programs that other studies have shown to be successful.
Community Psychology - Prevention
PREVENTION SCIENCE
Caplan described 3 levels @ which MHP can be prevented:
1) Tertiary prevention (indicated prevention intervention:
- ->lessen the severity of disorders and reduced short and long term consequences of them..
- ->ex) psychosocial rehab: psychopaths how to better cope with the effects of the problem and achieve highest quality of life to prevent further negative effects.
2) Secondary Prevention (selective MH prevention):
- ->intervention for those @ risk of developing a disorder.
- ->How do risk factors culminate in disorders?
- -need valid/reliable assessments to detect initial signs
- -increase protective factors of @ risks, to increase resilience of ppl in the program
3) Primary Prevention (universal MH prevention) - modify enviros or strengthen individuals so they are not susceptible to disorders to begin with. Counteract risk factors and reinforce protective ones..
—> each differs in terms of target populations:
Ex) prevent child abuse:
Tertiary –> ID past child abusers and give them psych edu, child development classes, help them be more informed/competent parents
Secondary –> help parents ID’d as at risk for abusing - but hadn’t done so yet (like ppl who were abused as children)
Primary –> public service campaign (maybe featuring influential community members) that would discourage child abuse and direct ppl to get help for rearing problems.
Primary Prevention Program: Improve Parenting
Improve parenting skills to reduce family violence.
– reduce corporal punishment and change parental attitudes
- children of violent homes more likely to be aggressive, abusive, or criminal as adults.
Primary Prevention Program: Teach Social Skills
Teach children and adol.s interpersonal skills that are later necessary for adjustment.
–like problem solving strategies.. help them avoid academic and social problems that are common for conduct disorder kids.
Primary Prevention Program: Changing Enviros
Make enviros more supportive of adaptive behavior.
– increase nurturing enviros to allow for maximum growth of human potential.
–> Ex) Head Start – expand preschool opps, increase commitment of parents/children to academic success, – has also shown to decrease antisocial behavior in future..
Primary Prevention Program: Reducing Stress
Reduce environmental stressors.
Ex) increase affordable housing to reduce household moves..
Primary Prevention Program: Promoting Empowerment
Empower those who’s circumstances (age, poverty, minority status, disabled, etc) have left them without ability/confidence to take control of their lives.
Ex) Mental Health Literacy - edu public on MH and how to deal with issues..
– decrease stigma attached with them..
